Brief description

Written language is a system of graphic representation of a language by means of signs engraved, drawn, or printed on a support. It allows for the detachment of communication from the immediate presence of the speaker, making it the basis of history, science, and complex administration.

Use / Function

Its practical purpose is to preserve and transmit information across time and space:

• Record-keeping: Accounting, laws, censuses, and historical chronicles.
• Communication: Sending messages over long distances without relying on memory.
• Preservation of knowledge: Storing scientific, religious, and cultural information for future generations.
• Legal and Personal Identity: Signatures, seals, and contracts.

Operating principle

It is based on assigning specific meanings to arbitrary visual symbols. These symbols can be:

1. Logographic: Representing words or morphemes (e.g., Chinese characters).
2. Syllabic: Representing syllables (e.g., Japanese Hiragana).
3. Alphabetic: Representing individual sounds or phonemes (e.g., Latin, Greek, Cyrillic).

The process involves encoding spoken language into these symbols on a durable medium, which can then be decoded (read) by anyone who knows the code.

How to create it

• Step 1: Code Definition: Establish or learn a system of signs that corresponds to the language.
• Step 2: Surface Preparation: Prepare a flat and durable support (like a clay tablet, a sheet of papyrus, or paper).
• Step 3: Marking: Use a tool (stylus, brush, pen) and a marking substance (ink) or physical deformation (engraving) to record the signs.
• Step 4: Fixation: Allow the ink to dry or the clay to harden to ensure the message lasts.

Materials needed

• Supports:
  • Clay: For cuneiform (must be wet during writing and fired/dried later).
  • Papyrus: Made from plant fibers, common in ancient Egypt.
  • Parchment: Made from animal skins, highly durable.
  • Paper: Made from processed cellulose pulp.
• Marking Substances:
  • Ink: Pigments (like charcoal) mixed with binders and solvents.
  • Charcoal/Graphite: For dry drawing or writing.
• Tools:
  • Stylus: For engraving on clay or wax.
  • Reed Pen/Quill: For applying liquid ink.
  • Brush: For calligraphic writing.

Variants and improvements

• Cuneiform: One of the earliest forms, using wedge-shaped marks on clay.
• Hieroglyphs: Using pictorial symbols.
• The Alphabet: A major improvement in efficiency, reducing the number of signs needed to be learned.
• Printing Press: Mechanized the production of written language, allowing for mass distribution.
• Digital Text: Encoding signs into binary data for electronic storage and display.

Limits and risks

• Fragility of supports: Fire, humidity, and insects can destroy paper, papyrus, and parchment.
• Loss of the code: If the knowledge of how to read a script is lost, the information becomes inaccessible (e.g., undeciphered ancient scripts).
• Ambiguity: Written language lacks the tone and body language of speech, which can lead to misinterpretation.
• Exclusion: Historically, literacy was a tool of power restricted to elite classes.